Circuit-interrupter.



Patented May 22, 1917.

INVEN 0R J. N. IVIAHONEY.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2s. 1912. LQQ7A72,

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JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, 0E wILKINsBURe, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoR ITC wEsTINC- HoUsE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNsYL- VANIA.

CIRCUIT-INTERRUPTER.

Patented lilfay 22, 191W.

Application led September 28, 1912. Serial No. 722,970.

To aZZ 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Interrupters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circuit interrupters, and it has special reference to auxiliary devices which may be employed in connection therewith for actuating the movable parts of the interrupter with great rapidity.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a device of the above-indicated character which shall be durable and inexpensive in construction, simple and compact in arrangement, and effective and reliable in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for actuating or accelerating an interrupter during the first portion of its opening operation with great rapidity, in order that the circuit may be interrupted before the current has suflicient time to build up to an excessive value.

Another object of my invention is to Aprovide adequate means for retarding the movement of the interrupter parts during the last portion of the opening operation, whereby said parts are cushioned to obviate heavy and destructive mechanical shocks which would otherwise be encountered.

A still further object of my invention is to combine the above-mentioned accelerating means and retarding means into a simple and compact unitary structure which may be conveniently located in the rear of the -insulating panel, and may effectively perform its several functions with reliability and positiveness.

In the prior art, circuit interrupters have been provided with actuating means for opening the interrupter parts subsequent to their release, but no provisions have been made for effecting the separation of Vthe coperating Contact members with such rapidity that the interruption of the circuit is effected before the current rises to an excessive value. Consequently, in certain classes of service, interrupters have' been subjected to particularly,`V severe operating conditions and have sometimes been seri-- ously damaged or even destroyed by reason of the excessive current which they were required to interrupt. y

It is the purpose of my present invention to overcome the difficulties heretofore expe rienced and hereinbefore mentioned, and, accordingly, I provide a' circuit interrupter having an auxiliaryl accelerating or actuatmg spring which is extremely powerful in comparison with the interrupter with which it is associated, whereby said interrupter is opened substantially instantaneously. Furthern'lore, I combine with the powerful aux iliary actuating spring a suitable dash pot by means of lwhich the rapid movement of the interrupter parts, during the opening eperation, is retarded and cushioned. y

My invention may be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a view, partially in side elevation and partially in section, of a circuit` interrupter constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the combined auxiliary actuating and retarding device shown in Fig. l, said view being taken along the plane IIhII of said figure.

Referring tothe drawing, the circuit interrupter here shown comprises, in general, an insulating panel l, a plurality of coperating main Contact members 2 and 3, a plurality of auxiliary coperating contact terminals lf and 5, a pivotally mounted supporting arm 6, an operating' mechanism 7, a restraining'device 8, a releasing device 9 and an auxiliary device 10 embodying a powerful actuating spring l1 and a dash pot l2.

'Ihe stationary main and auxiliary Contact members 2 and 4 are suitably Ymounted upon one side of the insulating panel 1 and electricallyrconnected to a conductor 13. The movable main and auxiliary contact members 3 and 5, which are respectively adapted to make coperative engagementwith the stationary main and auxiliary Contact members 2 and 4;, are suitably secured to the upper portion of the' supporting arm 6 in a well-lmown manner.` p A The c'operating main and auxiliary contact terminals 2, 3,; il and 5 are disposed Within are @hilfe la', and. a plurality 0f blovvout4 coils 15 and a magnetic Circuitl le therefor, are provided for the purpose of extinguishing the are formed during the opening operation of the interrupter.

, The supporting arm 6 is pivotally mount# ed upon a stud 17, and a iieXible conducting member 18 is connected between the movable contact member 3 and a stud or terminal 19 to which a conductor 20 is electrically connected.

The operating mechanism 7 the restraining device 8 and the releasing device 9 form no material parts of my present invention except as they constitute necessary elements in the structure set forth. Hence, the speciie structural details of these parts are unessential and will not be described, it being understood that they are merely illustrative of any suitable and well known devices for accomplishing their respective intended functions.

The auxiliary device 10 comprises two hollow cylindrical receiving members 21 and 22, which are coaxially arranged and secured together in abutting relationship by means of a plurality of bolts 23 and lugs 2l to form a unitary structure. rl`he structure just mentioned is disposed perpendicular to the insulating panel 1 and is secured by means of bolts-24a, to the opposite side thereof from which the circuit interrupter proper is mounted. The outer cylindrical member 21 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed openings 25 and is adapted to receive a powerful helical spring 11 which serves to accelerate the movable parts of the circuit interrupter, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. The inner cylindrical member 22 is provided with a plurality of openings 27 and is adapted to receive a tightly fitting movable piston 2S having a piston rod 29. The inner end of the spring 11 cooperatively engages the movable piston 28. The piston rod 29 projects through an opening in the inner end 30 of the member 22, and an air tight joint is provided by means of suitable packing material 31. The inner end 32 of the piston rod 29 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 33, the other end of which is pivotally associated with the supporting arm 6 at a point above its pivotal support 17.

Assuming the various parts of the apparatus to occupy the positions shown in the drawing and that sufficient current traverses the trip coil 35 of the releasing device 9 to cause the same to trip out the restraining means 8, the operation of the interrupter is as follows:

immediately upon the release of the restraining means, the energy stored in the spring 11 instantly effects the separation of4 the cooperating stationary and movable contact members 2, 3, 4 and 5, and throws the supporting arm 6 outwardly with great rapidity, the energy of the spring 11 being transmitted through the piston 28, piston rod 29 and link 33, as will be readily understood. During the first portion of the open ing operation, the movement of the supporting arm G is unrestricted for the reason that the receiving members 21 and 22 are provided respectively with openings 25 and 27. Hence the speed of operation is dependent only upon the strength of the spring 11 which may be of any desired amount. However, after the first portion of the opening operation has been completed, and the piston 28 has passed by the openings or ports 27, the air confined within the cylindrical member or cylinder 22 behind the moving piston 28 is compressed, whereby the movement of the interrupter parts is retarded and the said parts are thereby cushioned against mechanical shock. Obviously, by suitably choosing the strength of the actuating spring 11, and by suitably adjusting the dash pot 12, any desired acceleration and cushioning effect may be obtained.

l do not wish to be restricted to the specilic structural details and arrangement and location of parts hereinbefore shown and described and l intend to cover in the appended claims all modifications thereof which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

l claim as my invention:

1. A circuit interrupter comprising an insulating panel, cooperating relatively movable contact members, and restraining and releasing means dispo-sed at one side of said insulating panel, and a single means disposed at the other side of said panel for successively accelerating and retarding the movable contact members during the opening operation.

2. A circuit interrupter comprising an insulating panel, cooperating relatively movable contact members, and restraining and releasing means disposed at one side of said panel, and a single cooperating actuating and retarding means disposed at the other side of said panel and operatively associated with said movable contact member throughout its operation.

3. ln a circuit interrupter, the combination with movable and stationary Contact members, a pivotally mounted supporting arm for the movable contact member, and a latching device for the supporting arm, of an actuating spring disposed at substantially right angles to the supporting arm and adapted to accelerate the movement of the same, and a dash-pot interposed between the spring and the supporting arm and adapted to retard the same during the latter part of its movement.

4t. ln a circuit interrupter, the combination with relatively movable cooperating contact members, a pivotally mounted supporting arm for the movable contact member, and means for restraining and releasing said supporting arm, of a heavy actuating spring disposed at substantially right angles to said supporting arm and adapted to accelerate movement of the same, and a dash-pot interposed between said spring and said supporting arm and adapted to retard movement of the same under predetermined conditions.

5. In a circuit interrupter, the/combination with an insulating panel, a stationary contact member, a pivotally mounted coperating movable contact member, and means disposed at one side of said panel for restraining and vreleasing said movable member, of a single means disposed at the other side thereof and substantially at right angles thereto and embodying an actuating spring and a dash pot having its piston disposed between the spring and the said pivotally mounted Contact member.

6. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with a stationary contact member, a supporting arm, and. a movable contact member mounted thereon, of a cylindrical receiving member disposed at substantially right angles to said arm and having openings therein for a portion of its length and a remaining portion substantially closed, a coil spring disposed in the open portion of said receiving member, a piston normally disposed in said open portion and adapted to be moved into the other portion thereof by said spring under predetermined conditions, and means for mechanically associating said piston with said supporting arm.

7. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with relatively movable coperating contact members, a .supporting arm for the movable contact member, and means for restraining and releasing the supporting arm, of an actuating spring disposed at substantially right angles to the supporting arm and adapted to accelerate the movement of the same, and a dash-pot interposed between the said spring and the said supporting arm and adapted to retard movement of the same toward the latter part of its movement.

S. rlhe combination with a circuit interrupter, of a cylinder receiving member having openings therein for a portion of its length and a remaining portion substantially closed, a coil spring disposed in an open portion of said receiving member, and

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the a piston normally disposed in said open portion and adapted to be moved into the other portion thereof by said spring under predetermined conditions.

9. ln a circuit interrupter, the combination with a movable contact-carrying member, of a cylindrical member disposed at substantially right angles to the contactcarrying member and having openings therein for a portion of its length and a remaining portion substantially closed, a spring disposed in the open portion of the said cylindrical member, and a piston operatively connected to the contact-carrying member and normally disposed in the open portion of the cylinder, said piston being adapted to be moved into the other portion of the cylinder toward the latter part of its movement.

10. The combination with a circuit interrupter, of a cylindrical receiving member having openings therein. for a portion of its length and a remaining portion substantially closed, a coil spring disposed in an open portion of said receiving member, a piston normally disposed in said open portion and adapted to be moved into the other portion thereof by said spring under predetermined conditions, and means for mechanically associating the said piston with the movable member thereof.

ll. In a circuit interrupter, the combination with relatively movable and stationary contact members, of a cylindrical receiving member having openings therein for a portion of its length and a remaining portion substantially closed, a coil spring disposed in the open portion of the said receiving member', and a piston normally disposed in the open portion and adapted to be moved into the other portion thereof by the said spring under predetermined conditions, said piston being mechanically associated with the movable contact member to cause the same to be accelerated during the iirst part of its movement and retarded during the latter part thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of Sept. 1912.

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY.

llVitnesses M. C. Mnnz,

B. B. HrNns.

Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. C, 

